U.S. patent number 6,276,704 [Application Number 09/159,287] was granted by the patent office on 2001-08-21 for adjustable wheelchair having a tilting and reclining seat.
Invention is credited to Charles J. Suiter.
United States Patent |
6,276,704 |
Suiter |
August 21, 2001 |
Adjustable wheelchair having a tilting and reclining seat
Abstract
A wheelchair includes a frame and a seat having seat bottom and
a reclining seat back. The seat may be suspended within the frame
via seat suspension arms which tilt the seat about a substantially
horizontal axis located above the seat bottom. The wheelchair may
include leg supports which may pivot beneath the seat bottom when
not in use and arm rests having a hand support including a
perimeter edge provided with a plurality of indentations for
accepting and at least partially extending fingers of a user's
hand.
Inventors: |
Suiter; Charles J. (Lincoln
Lancaster County, NE) |
Family
ID: |
27369745 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/159,287 |
Filed: |
September 23, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/250.1;
180/907; 280/304.1; 297/327; 297/411.2; 297/423.2; 297/DIG.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61G
5/00 (20130101); A61G 5/1067 (20130101); A61G
5/12 (20130101); A61G 5/1054 (20161101); A61G
5/1081 (20161101); A61G 5/1089 (20161101); A61G
5/125 (20161101); A61G 5/128 (20161101); A61G
5/045 (20130101); A61G 5/10 (20130101); A61G
5/1075 (20130101); Y10S 180/907 (20130101); Y10S
297/04 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61G
5/00 (20060101); A61G 5/12 (20060101); A61G
5/10 (20060101); A61G 5/04 (20060101); B62M
001/14 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/250.1,304.1,650
;180/907 ;297/327,326,328,411.2,423.2,423.22,DIG.4 ;248/118
;224/407,422,401,430 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Mai; Lanna
Assistant Examiner: Ilan; Ruth
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Suiter & Associates PC
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.
119 of U.S. Provisional application Ser. Nos. 60/059,818, filed
Sep. 23,1997 and 60/084,074, filed May 4, 1998. Said U.S.
Provisional application Ser. Nos. 60/059,818 and 60/084,074 are
herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A tip resistant wheelchair, comprising:
a frame including a pair of generally opposed curvilinear frame
members;
a pair of wheels mounted to the frame with at least one axle;
a seat; and
a seat suspension member for suspending the seat from the
curvilinear members;
wherein the seat suspension member pivotally suspends the seat from
the curvilinear members so that the seat is capable of tilting in a
pendulum motion for substantially maintaining the center of gravity
of the wheelchair as the seat is tilted; and
wherein the curvilinear members include generally curved sections
having diameters larger than the diameters of the wheels for
supporting shields for at least partially shielding a user seated
in the seat from the wheels as the seat is tilted.
2. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising a shield attached
to at least one of said curved sections for shielding a user seated
in the seat from the wheels as the seat is tilted.
3. The wheelchair of claim 1, wherein the seat comprises a seat
back and a seat bottom, and wherein the seat back is capable of
being reclined with respect to the seat bottom.
4. The wheelchair of claim 3, further comprising a leg support
assembly, the leg support assembly being mounted to the seat bottom
so as to be capable of retraction beneath the seat bottom.
5. The wheelchair of claim 4, wherein the leg support assembly is
capable of tilting with the seat so that the angle of the leg
support assembly with the seat bottom not changed.
6. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising an arm
support.
7. The wheelchair of claim 6, wherein the arm support includes a
hand support, the hand support having a perimeter edge provided
with at least one indentation for each finger of a user's hand
wherein the indentations are spaced so as to be suitable for
receiving and at least partially extending a user's fingers.
8. The wheelchair of claim 6, wherein the arm support is capable of
being tilted with the seat so that the angle of the arm support
with the seat bottom is not changed.
9. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising a storage rack
mounted to at least one of the wheels.
10. The wheelchair of claim 6, further comprising a holder mounted
to the arm support, the holder capable of remaining substantially
level as the seat is tilted.
11. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising a motor mounted
to the frame and coupled to the at least one axle, the motor being
capable of turning at least one of the wheels for providing motive
force to the wheelchair.
12. The wheelchair of claim 1, further comprising an actuating
assembly for tilting the seat.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to wheelchairs and more
particularly to wheelchairs having tilting or reclining seats, seat
backs, or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventional wheelchairs typically comprise a non-reclining seat
made of a flexible material such as vinyl, canvas or the like
stretched across a frame which is supported between two large drive
wheels and two small front swivel casters. Normally, conventional
wheelchairs may be made to fold or collapse by drawing the sides of
the wheelchair's frame together, thereby reducing its width. This
allows the wheelchair to be more easily handled and stored.
Many elderly or handicapped persons spend a large part of each day
in a wheelchair. However, conventional folding wheelchairs are not
well suited for such extended use and may adversely affect the
health of these persons. For example, elderly persons may develop
sores or flexion contractures of the hips and knees because they
are physically unable to shift their weight in the wheelchair.
Similarly, kyphosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine which
commonly afflicts the elderly, may be aggravated by sitting upright
for long periods of time. Persons suffering this condition may thus
be forced to remain in bed for a greater portion of the day,
adversely affecting their quality of life.
To address these problems, wheelchairs having seats with reclining
backrests were developed. These wheelchairs allow a user to shift
his or her weight by reclining the seat back to decrease pressure
on bony prominences and reduce the likelihood of developing sores
and muscle aches and spasms. Reclining wheelchairs may also
position a kyphosis afflicted user so that gravity may help reverse
or retard his or her condition. Further, reclining wheelchairs may
provide an improved feeding position for severe kyphosis sufferers,
who, when sitting in a conventional chair or wheelchair, would be
essentially face down.
For some persons, especially the elderly, independent movement of
the seat bottom and seat back may be undesirable because such
movement may result in skin shear of an elderly user's back and
buttocks. Consequently, it is desirable to provide a tilting seat
having a seat bottom and seat back which may be tilted
simultaneously at a fixed angle to each other.
The center of gravity of a conventional wheelchair typically lies
somewhere forward of an imaginary line extending between its large
drive wheels. This positioning of the center of gravity makes the
wheelchair extremely stable. However, for a wheelchair having a
reclining or tilting seat, the center of gravity of the wheelchair
and its user may shift rearward as the seat is reclined or tilted.
Consequently, there exists a danger that the wheelchair may tip
over and possibly injure is user. To solve this problem, a
wheelchair may include a mechanism which allows the seat to be slid
forward on a slide, track or the like after it is reclined or
tilted to restore the center of gravity to a stable location.
However, such mechanisms tend to be extremely complex since they
must both tilt or recline the seat and slide the seat forward in
the wheelchair frame. Because of this complexity, these mechanisms
may also be costly, unreliable and, especially if they are
unpowered, difficult, if not impossible, for an elderly user to
operate. Further, such mechanisms may be unable to simultaneously
recline the seat and slide the seat forward creating a window of
time where the wheelchair is susceptible to tipping.
Wheelchairs also typically include leg supports or rests adapted to
support a user's legs and feet. Many times, however, a person who
is physically unable to stand may have sufficient mobility and
strength in his or her legs to still be able to use his or her legs
and feet to propel the wheelchair. For these persons, leg supports
may make such locomotion difficult if not impossible. However, the
same individual, when desiring to rest or remain immobile, may
desire leg supports to sit comfortably within the wheelchair.
For these reasons, it would be advantageous to provide a wheelchair
having a tilting seat adapted to tilt without upsetting the
wheelchair's center of gravity wherein the seat includes a seat
back adapted to recline independently of the seat bottom. It would
also be advantageous to provide a wheelchair having leg supports
adapted to be easily retracted beneath the seat when not in
use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, a principle object of the present invention is to
provide a wheelchair having a tilting seat, wherein the seat may be
tilted rearward without significantly shifting the wheelchair's
center of gravity.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a wheelchair
having a reclining seat.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a
wheelchair having leg supports which may be retracted beneath the
seat when not being utilized.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a
wheelchair including an arm rest having a hand support wherein a
perimeter edge thereof may be provided with a plurality of
indentations for accepting and at least partially extending a
user's fingers.
The present invention is directed to a novel wheelchair including a
seat having a reclining seat back. This seat is suspended within
the wheelchair's frame via seat suspension arms such that the seat
may tilt about a substantially horizontal axis located above the
seat bottom. The wheelchair may further include leg supports
pivotally mounted to the seat bottom wherein the leg supports may
rotate beneath the seat bottom when they are not being used. Arm
rests, which may tilt with the seat, may include a hand support
having a perimeter edge provided with a plurality of indentations
for accepting and at least partially extending a user's
fingers.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description
and the following detailed description are exemplary and
explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention claimed.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute
a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the
invention and together with the general description, serve to
explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The numerous objects and advantages of the present invention may be
better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the
accompanying figures in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view depicting a wheelchair in accordance
with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2A is a side elevational view of the wheelchair shown in FIG.
1 wherein the seat is shown in an upright position;
FIG. 2B is a side elevational view of the wheelchair shown in FIG.
1, wherein the seat is shown in a rearward tilted position and
wherein the seat back is shown in a reclined position;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the wheelchair shown in FIG.
1, further illustrating a pneumatic tilting mechanism for tilting
the seat within the frame of the wheelchair;
FIG. 4A is a top plan view illustrating therapeutic arm rests
adapted to use with the wheelchair of the present invention;
FIG. 4B is a side elevational view of the arm rests shown in FIG.
3A;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a wheelchair in
accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention
employing a motorized drive for propelling the wheelchair's drive
wheels; and
FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a wheelchair in accordance
with an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the
wheelchair comprises leg supports which slide beneath the seat when
not in use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference will now be made in detail to the presently preferred
embodiment of the invention, an example of which is illustrated in
the accompanying drawings.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a wheelchair having a tilting and
reclining seat in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention is shown. The wheelchair, enumerated herein
generally as 10, includes a wheelchair frame 20 supporting a seat
42 having a seat bottom 44 and seat back 46. The seat 42 may be
suspended within the wheelchair frame 20 via two generally vertical
seat suspension arms 52 so that a user, seated in the wheelchair,
may cause the seat 42 to be tilted about a generally horizontal
axis located above and parallel to the seat bottom 44. In this
manner, the seat 42 may be tilted rearward without significantly
shifting the wheelchair's center of gravity.
The wheelchair frame 20 preferably comprises left and right frame
halves 22 which may be joined together by cross members so that
they are held substantially parallel to each other. Each frame half
22 includes an upper frame member 24 and a lower frame member 25
(see FIG. 3) which furnish rigidity to the frame half 22 and
provide structure for mounting the wheelchair's drive wheels 30,
seat 42, and associated hardware (e.g., cup holders, eye glasses
holders, main drive wheel brake, etc.). The upper frame member 24
may have a curvilinear shape consisting of a curved section
generally following an arc having a diameter slightly larger than
the diameter of the wheelchair's main drive wheels 30 and a
straightened section extending forward and downward at an angle
from the curved section. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG.
1, the upper frame member 24, lower frame member 25 (see FIG. 3),
and cross members 23 (see FIG. 3) may be fashioned from square or
rectangular tubing formed from a suitable material such as, for
example, steel, aluminum, titanium, plastic, or composite providing
the desired combination of stiffness, light weight, and ruggedness.
A side panel 28 may extend between each upper frame member 24 and
each lower frame member. The side panel 28 may provide additional
rigidity to the frame half 22 and may prevent the user's hands or
clothing from becoming entangled in the spokes of the main drive
wheels 30. Preferably, the side panel 28 is formed from thin sheet
of a suitable material such as plastic, steel, aluminum, composite
material, or the like.
The wheelchair's large drive wheels 30 may be rotatably mounted via
axles 34 to the lower frame member 23 (see FIG. 3) of each frame
half 22. Each drive wheel 30 may include a conventional hand ring
36 mounted thereto to provide the user with means for manually
rotating the drive wheels 30 to provide motion to the wheelchair
10. Smaller wheels or casters 38 may be mounted to a forward lower
end of the upper frame member 24. These casters 38 preferably
swivel 360 degrees about a vertical axis thereby allowing the
wheelchair 10 to be steered by the user, or, alternatively, by an
attendant pushing the wheelchair 10.
Anti-tip wheels 40 may be mounted to a rear lower end of the upper
frame member 24. Under normal conditions, these wheels 40 do not
contact the ground or floor surface (not shown) on which the
wheelchair 10 rests. However, at the inception of tipping of the
wheelchair 10, for example when a user suddenly shifts his or her
weight too far rearward while reclined, the anti tip wheels 40 may
come into contact with a ground or floor surface (not shown) on
which the wheelchair 10 rests, thereby preventing further tipping
of the wheelchair 10.
The seat 42 may include side and hip bolsters or supports for
supporting the user's lower back and hips and thighs, respectively,
and an adjustable lumbar support for supporting the user's lower
back. The lumbar support may, for example, include an air bladder
which may be inflated or deflated to increase or decrease the
amount of support provided. Preferably, the air bladder may be
inflated utilizing a conventional pump mechanism 43. The seat 42
may include a head rest 50 mounted to the top of the seat back 46
for supporting the user's head. This position of the head rest 50
above the seat back 46 may be adjusted to fit the height of the
particular user (i.e., adjusted up for taller users or down for
shorter users). The head rest 50 may also tilt about a generally
horizontal plane parallel to the seat back 46 to, for example,
provide additional support the back of the user's neck if so
desired. The seat back 46 may further include a grip or handlebar
assembly 51 positioned below the head rest 50 to allow an
attendant, or the like, to maneuver (i.e., push, pull, turn, etc.)
the wheelchair 10.
Leg supports 60 may be mounted to the seat bottom 44 to provide
support for the legs and feet of a user seated in the wheelchair
10. Each leg support 60 may pivot in a generally vertical plane so
that it may be retracted beneath the seat bottom 44 when not being
used. For example, many users may be unable to stand for long
periods and thus require a wheelchair. However, these users may
retain sufficient mobility and strength in their legs to "walk" if
their bodies are supported in some manner. By pivotally retracting
the leg supports 60 beneath the seat 42, a user seated in the
wheelchair 10 may propel the chair utilizing his or her legs and
feet.
As shown in FIG. 1, each leg support 60 may be pivotally mounted to
the seat bottom 44 via hinge assembly 64 mounted to the seat bottom
44. The leg supports 60 may pivot about the hinge assembly 64 to
support the user's legs and feet at multiple angles with the seat
bottom 44. Preferably, the angle between each leg support 60 and
the seat bottom 44 may be adjusted from approximately 0 degrees to
approximately 90 degrees. Further, each leg support 60 may be held
in place by locking mechanism 65 such that it may tilt with the
seat 42 without changing the angle of the leg supports 60 with
respect to the seat bottom (see FIGS. 2A and 2B). In this manner,
unnecessary stress on the user's legs and feet may be avoided. A
foot rest 62 may be pivotally attached to a bottom end of each leg
support 60. In an exemplary embodiment, the footrest 62 may rotated
between a retracted (upright) and an extended (lowered) position.
Each leg support 60 may include an adjustable support pad 67 for
supporting the backs of the user's legs. Preferably, the position
of the support pad 67 may adjusted up or down the leg support 60
depending the length of the user's leg. The support pad 67 may also
pivot to more comfortably support the user's leg.
Arm rests 54 may be mounted to the seat suspension arms 52. Thus,
the armrests 54 tilt simultaneously with the seat 42 to prevent
stress to the user's arms as the seat is tilted. Each armrest 52
preferably comprises a hand support 56 having a perimeter edge
including a plurality of sculpted indentations 58 adapted to
comfortably accept and support the fingers of a user's hand wherein
the hand support 56 functions to at least partially extend the
user's fingers to an open position from a clenched position.
Preferably, the may be slidably and pivotally mounted to the tops
of the seat suspension arms 52. In this manner the arm rests may
pivot laterally (i.e., about an axis parallel to the side frame
half 22) and may slide toward or away from the seat back 46 (when
in the upright position). The arm rests 54 preferably comprise a
rigid inner shell having a cushioning material molded thereon to
provide added comfort to the user. Additional cushions or pads 59
may be added in situations where increased cushioning is required
or desired by a particular user.
Accessory devices such as a cup holder 80, a magazine holder 82,
glasses holder (not shown), or the like may be provided to enhance
the comfort of the user and the versatility of the wheelchair 10.
The cup holder 80 may be pivotally mounted to an armrest 54 of the
wheelchair 10. Preferably, the bottom of the cup holder may be
weighted allowing the cup holder to remain horizontal as the seat
42 is tilted. Alternately, the cup holder 80 may be secured to a
frame half 20 so that it does not move as the seat 42 is tilted.
The magazine holder 82 preferably comprises a pouch which may be
attached to the axle 34 of a main drive wheel 30 of the wheelchair
10 via a bracket or the like so that it remains in an upright
position as the drive wheel 30 rotates. In this manner, a user may
keep reading materials such as a magazine, book, newspaper or the
like conveniently within reach. Alternatively, the magazine holder
82 may be provided as an accessory which may be added to the
wheelchair 10 of the present invention or an existing conventional
wheelchair.
Turning now to FIGS. 2A and 2B, tilting of the wheelchair seat
within the wheelchair frame is illustrated. The seat 42 of the
wheelchair 10 is shown in the fully upright position in FIG. 2A and
in a tilted position in FIG. 2B. Preferably, the lower end of each
seat suspension arm 52 may be rigidly attached to a side of the
seat bottom 44. An upper end of each seat suspension arm 52 may
have a hole therein through which a fastener 26 such as a bolt or
the like may be inserted to form a pivot. Preferably, the fastener
26 extends through a bracket 27 mounted to the upper frame member
24 at or near its uppermost point of curvature so that the pivot is
positioned above and slightly forward of the main wheel axle 34.
The seat 42 rotates or tilts through an arc about a horizontal axis
extending through the centers of the fasteners 26. Thus, as the
seat 42 is tilted, the seat back 46 is tilted rearward and lowered
while the seat bottom 44 is simultaneously tilted forward and
upward. In this manner, the wheelchair's center of gravity is
substantially maintained reducing the likelihood that the
wheelchair 10 will tip rearward as the seat 42 is tilted. The seat
back 46 may also be reclined with respect to the seat bottom via a
reclining mechanism. Preferably, the seat back 46 may be reclined
from an upright substantially vertical position (FIG. 2A) to a
fully reclined substantially horizontal position (FIG. 2B).
Referring now to FIG. 3, pneumatic apparatus for tilting the seat
within the frame of the wheelchair is shown. The wheelchair 10 may
include a seat tilt actuator 68 for tilting the seat 42 within the
wheelchair frame 20. The seat tilt actuator 68 may be pivotally
mounted between the seat bottom 44 and the rear cross-member 23.
When the seat tilt actuator 68 is extended, the seat 42 is
preferably tilted rearward. Likewise, when the seat tilt actuator
68 is retracted the seat 42 is preferably returned to (i.e., tilted
toward) its upright position. The seat tilt actuator 68 may be
powered pneumatically. A compressor or pump and an accumulator or
air reservoir may provide air pressure to extend the actuator 68,
thereby tilting the seat 42. A release valve may be provided to
release air pressure from the actuator 68 causing the seat to be
returned its upright position. The pump may be electrically powered
via a rechargeable battery or may be hand driven (i.e., a plunger
type hand pump). Extension and retraction of the seat tilt actuator
68 may be controlled by the user utilizing a controller 76 which
may be mounted to a handrest 56.
Turning now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, arm rests having hand supports
according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are
shown. Each arm rest 54 may include a hand support 56 having a
perimeter edge provided with a plurality of sculpted indentations
58. These indentation are positioned to accept and at least
partially extend a user's fingers. The arm rest 54 may be formed of
metal, plastic, wood or the like having a cushioning material
molded thereon to enhance the user's comfort. Further, the arm rest
may be tilted with respect to the frame half, for example 20
degrees, to support to the user's arms and hands in a more
comfortable position. Similarly, the arm rest may slide toward or
away from the seat back depending on the size of the user.
Preferably, the handrest's sculpted indentations 58 are spaced at
selected positions corresponding to the appropriate positions of
the fingers of a user's hand when the user's hand is resting
comfortably on the hand rest 56. In the exemplary embodiment shown,
the user may place his or her hand on the hand rest 56 such that
his or her fingers extend into the indentations 58 thereby forcing
the hand to remain open. As shown in FIG. 4A, the hand rest may
have five finger indentations 58 corresponding in position to each
of the user's fingers. Alternatively, six or more indentations may
be provided allowing the user to shift the position of his or her
hand between two or more positions to improve comfort and reduce
fatigue.
FIG. 5 illustrates a wheelchair according to an alternative
embodiment of the present invention employing a motorized drive
system for propelling the wheelchair's drive wheels. In addition to
the features and elements of the present invention disclosed with
respect to the unpowered embodiment (FIGS. 1 through 4B), this
embodiment may include an electric motor 102 adapted to drive the
drive wheels 104 and a power source such as a battery 106 or the
like, adapted to provide electrical power to the motor 102. A
controller 108, which may include a dual-axis joystick control 110,
may be mounted to an armrest of the wheelchair 100. The controller
108 may be used to control the direction of travel of the
wheelchair 100. For example, by pressing straight and forward on
the joystick control 110, the wheelchair 100 preferably will follow
a straight line forward. Likewise, by pulling straight back on the
joystick control 110, the wheelchair 100 may be made to go in
reverse along a straight path. It should also be obvious that by
pressing the joystick control 110 forward and to the left the
wheelchair 100 will preferably turn left at a rate proportional to
the extent the joystick control 110 is moved forward and left, and
that by pressing the joystick control 110 forward and to the right,
the wheelchair 100 will preferably turn right at a rate
proportional to the extent the joystick control 110 is moved
forward and right. Preferably, the wheelchair 100 may be steered in
a similar fashion for reverse movement.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a wheelchair is shown in accordance with
an alternative embodiment of the present invention wherein the
wheelchair comprises leg supports which slide beneath the seat when
not in use. The leg supports 260 may be pivotally and slidably
mounted to the seat bottom 244 to provide support for the legs and
feet of a user seated in the wheelchair 210. Each leg support 260
may be slidably retracted in the direction indicated by arrow 286
on a sliding track 264 mounted beneath the seat bottom 244. For
example, many users may be unable to stand for long periods and
thus require a wheelchair. However, these users may retain
sufficient mobility and strength in their legs to "walk" if their
bodies are supported in some manner. By slidably retracting the leg
supports 260 beneath the seat 242, a user seated in the wheelchair
210 may propel the chair utilizing his or her legs and feet.
Preferably, each leg support 260 may be individually hinged to the
sliding track 264 allowing each leg support 260 to be pivoted about
a horizontal axis through an arc defined by arrow 288 to support
the user's legs and feet at various angles with the seat bottom
244. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the angle between each leg
support 260 and the seat bottom 244 may be adjusted from
approximately 0 degrees to approximately 90 degrees. Further, each
leg support 260 may be locked in place such that it may tilt with
the seat 242 without changing the angle of the leg supports 260
with respect to the seat bottom (see FIGS. 2A and 2B). In this
manner, unnecessary stress on the user's legs and feet may be
avoided. A foot rest 262 may be attached to a bottom end of each
leg support 260. The footrest 262 may be raised or lowered as
indicated by arrow 290 to accommodate the length of the user's
legs. The foot rest 262 may include a footrest attachment post 292
which may slidably engage a bottom end of the leg support 260. The
footrest 262 may be secured to the bottom end of the leg support
260 by an adjustment device 294 which may, for example, comprise a
threaded pin extending through a threaded hole in a brace which may
be mounted to the lower end of the leg support 260. A knob 296
affixed to the outer end of the threaded pin preferably allows the
user, by applying a twisting motion thereto, to tighten the
threaded pin through the threaded hole of the brace to engage the
foot rest attachment post 292. Actuators 270 & 272 may be
provided to extend and retract the leg supports 260 and rotate the
leg supports 260 with respect to the seat 242. These actuators 270
& 272 may be pneumatically powered and may be conveniently
controlled by a controller 276 which may be mounted to a handrest
256.
It is believed that the adjustable wheelchair of the present
invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood
by the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various
changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of
the components thereof without departing from the scope and spirit
of the invention or without sacrificing all of its material
advantages. The form herein before described being merely an
explanatory embodiment thereof, it is the intention of the
following claims to encompass and include such changes.
* * * * *